PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that promoting quality higher education is a collaborative effort of both the public and private sectors.

“When it comes to educating our youth, government and private schools are not competitors but must be regarded as equal partners,” Marcos said during the National Higher Education Day Summit.

“As such, government should ensure their viability, [and] treat them as strategic assets whose existence is guaranteed by nurturing policies and support,” he added.

Almost P134 billion has been allotted for state and local universities and colleges this 2024 to allow more students to avail of free tertiary education.

The President also said it will also equate to more families being eased of the burden of having to pay for college.

“We know that whatever is spent on education, we should never regard as an expenditure. It is an investment. It is an investment in our people. It is an investment in our country. It is an investment in our future,” he added.